Dwarfs
The Dwarven race of Aggal is the Elder Race of the world, continuing to exist long after the Dawn Walkers vanished. Calling themselves the Kraggdin, they are the eldest known living race and are immensely proud and resilient to the trials and tribulations of the world. Their largest empire has long since crumbled, leaving twelve major dwarf clans split apart across the world, governing the other many minor clans. Their main holdings stand in the far north in the Iceflow Mountains and along the Brow of the World, and then scatter in the southlands at Mt. Highrock, and along the Asaman Mountain Range in northern Ordain. As a people, the dwarfs are a hardy, stalwart, yet fractured race. Since the fall of the Ironfoe Empire the dwarf clans warred for a period before adopting an uneasy peace with one another with several forced into exile from their ancestral homeland, and forced to move to the lands southlands to establish new holds. They are brilliant engineers and pioneers of new technology as well as master architects. Of all the races of the world, none are as proficient in mining and tunneling as the dwarfs, and none can match the mastery of dwarf metalwork. Their creations in stone, clay, metal or wood are unparallelled in the world, and are sought after by all. Above all in a world of near perpetual war, the dwarfs are awe inspiring warriors. Their armies are feared by all the dwarven enemies, and have pummeled those enemies into submission or scattered them to the winds for thousands of years. History Said to be the first to be created after the Dawn Walkers, the dwarves of Aggal were created from the primordial waters deep underground in what is now the Shield of Ordain.' '''The water combined with that of the stone surrounding it, creating a new living force, the dwarf. These early dwarfs are considered that which all dwarfs are descended from. They are known as Mygloin, and they are the ones who created the god blessed halls of Primordidon, “Halls of the Beginning.” They were said to be blessed with god given powers to shape stone and metal, with strength and endurance like that of stone. Their skin is said to be a metallic type with eyes like gems. They served their gods willingly and faithfully. Developing the Dwarven language, style of architecture, love of stone and metals the Mygloin led a booming race to the depths of the planet. They squashed the corrupted beings of the lower levels of the world as their gods decreed with a zeal never seen again in Dwarves. They were enigmatic, yet charismatic. They ruled the depths of their continent for nearly twelve thousand years, up until the first Void Invasion of the planet by the darkness of Chaos the Eternal. What happened after this point is speculation, however it is known that the blessed Halls of Primordidon was destroyed during the invasion and corrupted by the dark gods as a spawning ground for fiends of all kinds. The legions of Chaos reeked havoc upon the Mygloin world and that of the surface. It was here the Dwarven gods were forced to join the battle against the forces of Chaos in order to save their people, but in doing so they could not walk upon the world again. With their departure the Mygloin were sent into a state of physical shock and all fell into a deep hibernation. Fortunately for them they slept through the cataclysmic shaking of the planet as the dark portals were destroyed, wherein nearly all Mygloin tunnel and cavern systems collapsed from the shear force of the explosions gripping the planet. Nearly the entire Mygloin race perished as a result. However several isolated groups survived and continued to sleep undisturbed for another four thousand years. During this time the Mygloin are said to have evolved slowly into what is now considered the Dwarven race. They lost their metallic skins and eyes, their zeal to crush the corrupted beings of the world, and they lost some of their height as well. When these isolated groups of dwarfs awoke finally four thousand years after the cataclysm that banished the dark hordes of chaos from the world the new Mygloin found themselves alone, without much of the once great knowledge they once held. Their love and understanding of stone and precious metals remained however along with their deep sense of ingenuity and craftsmanship. They retained some of their Mygloin language however these isolated groups soon found the need to reinvent their language and as a result each group branched off into many different paths. Some of these groups made it to the surface world where they found the planet healed from the great devastation brought on by the Chaos invasion and found that new beings had emerged as the new super powers of the world. Trolls led the way, followed closely by the new human race. Not wanting anything to do with the surface dwellers the dwarfs sealed their surface doors and set out to make a home in the planet’s depths. Along the way each group developed a deep sense of kinship with those of their group and thus began the blood pacts that would last generations. Several Clans as they now referred to themselves founded cities within mountains in the North Flow Mountains. From this the clans soon discovered one another and though they were the same race and species they soon found themselves quarreling over mining deposits, caverns and underground water reservoirs. Over hundreds of years hatreds grew between the clans until a full scale war was unleashed. Beneath the snowy terrain of the North Flow Mountains raged a bloody war that lasted nearly nine hundred years. Three of the seven clans were annihilated by their kin and the final four were conquered by one within, ending the years of turmoil. Finally the Dwarven nation of Ironfoe was created and the dark age of the dwarves came to an end. From the rocky, snowy mountain peaks to the heavy woodlands, to the shores of two oceans and beneath that, miles underground Ironfoe Dwarfs ruled, prospered and regained their lost strength and faith in the gods above them. They cleansed their undermines of all corrupted beings. On the surface they raged a massive successful war against the Wrot and the Troll tribes nearly wiping them from the land. However a new enemy came against them when the last emperor of the Ironfoe clan lay on his death bed. Barbarian human tribes migrated into the southern mountains. These humans were crude, and though not very bright they knew battle well. Seeing stores of food that the dwarves held the humans launched raids upon the surface Dwarven settlements and forts just as Root of the Mountain Enerst Ironfoe passed from the world without an heir to take his place. Almost immediately the old hatreds between the old clans sprung up as each vied for control of the empire. The hill dwarves, as they were called because of their surface dwelling years pleaded for their underground cousins to aid them in battling the human tribes. They received none and as a result the forces of the hill dwarves were pushed back to the far northern reaches. The under-dwellers closed their vast halls to the surface world and disappeared for a time. Under the surface a war raged however as the Dwarven clans vied for power and territory amongst each other. The second dark age of the dwarves had begun. Ironfoe deteriorated into the many original clans and each claimed territories for themselves. The war of the Four Clans had begun. The remnants of Ironfoe were driven east where they settled in an unusually frigid area of the world and changed their name to Frostfoe. It was a great defeat for the Ironfoe clan having been driven from the North Flow Mountains and now inhabited the Asaman Mountains. In the west the Highrock Clan was exiled after a heavy defeat in its claimed territory in the Northflow Mountains. After such the Highrocks headed west and claimed a new mountain range as their own. In the north two clans remained and an uneasy peace was announced. Clan Grimaxe would claim the western region of the Northflow Mountains and the Dreadhammers would claim the east. The bloodshed ended in less then two hundred years, with the empire shattered and the Dwarven people spread out across the continent. In the Northflow another battle erupted as the Grimaxe and Dreadhammers finally opened the gates to their underground world and charged forth into the midst of the Wrot tribes that had taken up residence. Thousands of howling dwarves slaughtered the invaders and in less then a month the tribes were either annihilated or forced to retreat out of the Northflow Mountains, reestablishing the Dwarf’s surface kingdom. The dwarves also found out that the Gnolls, Shrikul, and Urks had resurfaced in force since they had left the surface. The humans had long battled them but with little avail. The dwarves however remembering the needed tactics started forth on cleansing their land once more. While on their march further north the Grimaxe soldiers discovered the remnants of the hill dwarves that had been left to fend for themselves. They had survived, if only barely. They brought with them the wisdom of the gods however, announcing to the arriving King of Grimaxe that the gods had descended upon the battle they thought to be their last stand against a mighty army of Wrot. Miognar’s rage suddenly burned within them and they could do impressive feats in the battle. Ysura’s love protected them from harm, Bandun gave them his own crafted weapons and armor. Angart empowered them with his endless knowledge, and finally Denholm charged forth with an army of Mygloin dwarves, the ancient ancestors of the dwarves. Together they did not only route the Wrot army but annihilated it completely, leaving no survivors. The hill dwarves had been transformed then after the battle each god imparting a small gift of power upon them. Denholm had called them Ingênion “Never Forsaken.” Their task was to impart the wisdom of the gods back to the Dwarven people. The Ingênion were never to be ruled by a regular Dwarven king nor subject to the laws. Ingênion were to be the ever guardians of the dwarves and to be treated above Kings and Thanes. The King of Grimaxe, temperamental shouted his defiance to such a decree and challenged the leader of the Ingênion to show him his god given powers in a mortal spar. The challenge was accepted and shortly thereafter the two fought a short battle ending with the crushed skull of the King of Grimaxe from the bare hands of the Ingênion leader. The King had landed several blows that would have felled a mortal dwarf but barely scratched the Ingênion. The Decree was upheld when the Ingênion leader came and blessed the new King of Grimaxe. The Ingênion left soon after to the DreadHammer territory with Grimaxe escorts to reinforce the harrowing tale. This time the Decree was upheld without a challenge. Leaving to the southwest with Dreadhammer and Grimaxe escorts the Ingênion made their way to the Highrock Dwarves and then east to the Frostfoe clan with Highrock escorts among the gathering. In less then a year the Ingênion had reunited the clans in an alliance to aid one another from this moment on. Grimaxe and Dreadhammer however still followed their war efforts in cleansing their lands. The Wrot had somehow bullied the Urks and Shrikul into fighting for them. Their combined forces were immense and surged out of the very north, first striking at a Grimaxe surface fortress. The defenders fought valiantly, however were outnumbered nearly sixty to one and fell before the onslaught. Grimaxe spurred its forces north and blocked off passes to the further south. The growing armies lead by the Wrot soon flowed into DreadHammer territory, sacking surface villages and strongholds all along the north. The Dreadhammers rushed northward, soon clashing with the bulk of the enemy forces. Grimaxe took this opportunity and spearheaded an offensive, retaking their lost land quickly and easily. They charged forth and headed to the rear of the Wrot army. From there they advanced southward, locking the Wrot in between the Dreadhammer and Grimaxe forces. The panicking shrilkul caused havoc in the Wrot lines and allowed the two Dwarven forces to push inward slowly like a vice. Seeing their grand army in disarray and the dwarfs closing in for the kill the Wrot up and vanished, leaving the urcs and shrilkul to their own defenses, and their inevitable doom. Shrilkul skulls were trampled under Dwarven boots, Urks were crushed under Dwarven hammers. When the last were annihilated the valley that held that final battle earned a new name, the Red Snow Rocklands. Corpses littered the valley from north to south, east to west. Blood ran in rivers, the stink ranged for miles. The two Dwarven forces met at the center, and shook hands for once in a long time. There both clans filled with the desire for revenge, signed a treaty that bound them to hunt the Wrot to their graves, they would never allow the dark ones to gain a hold on their land again. Society and Culture In the golden age of the Dwarfs, all clans had been united by a single king, during the age of the Ironfoe Empire. Then the Time of Succession and the War of Four Clans tore the empire apart into what it is now. Now there are twelve clans that have carved out kingdoms for themselves with four major clans, Grimaxe, Dreadhammer, Highrock and Frostfoe, but also with six lesser clans who hold smaller territories across the Ordainian Continent. Each of these clans is ruled by a king and each king has the allegiance of dozens if not hundreds of other familial clans. Dwarfs are simple and traditional. Keeping with simplicity and tradition dwarf titles are both. Kings rule over a chosen class of Dwarf Lords who often are the heads of the most influential clans in a dwarf hold. These Lords are often governors of outlying reaches of the kingdom, such as mines not directly connected to the main Hold, surface towns, border forts. They collect taxes and tariffs, organize and regulate trade and the clans who live there and keep the area under their governance safe from forces of the Void. Under the Dwarf Lords are the Thanes who like human nobles are the heads of each clan family and are considered the best at the trade for which their family is known. Thanes are also entitled by the King for positions beyond family trade, mainly through military service. These Champion Thanes as they are often respectfully referred to by other Thanes, are put in charge of leading professional soldiers, commanding garrisons, and regiments and all reporting to another very important thane, the Thane of the Army. There is also the Thane of the Guard who is the most veteran of the king's bodyguard. While not Lords, Thanes are very respected, even by those of higher station. '''Clan Hierarchy:' Each clan in a dwarf hold is ranked with rigid social standing, each falling under the royal clan in importance and power. Those clans who specialize in the most respectable crafts are often the highest in the social ladder under the royals. Silver, Gold, Platinum, Blood and Pallidworking, Runesmithing and Runecasting, Engineering, Weapon and Armor crafting, and the Military are some of the highest respectable crafts in a hold with several clans each competing and controlling the well kept secrets of their trade. 'The Clans:' The Dwarf clans are large, extended families who all can trace their ancestry back to an official moment in time when the clan was founded, usually when a new mine was founded, a new surface settlement erected, a fortification built, a business started or upon commission to the military. One clan may be armorsmiths, while another might be goldsmiths. Others still might be politicians, scribes, stoneworkers, carpenters or farmers. The tradition of family trade helps young dwarfs learn their craft early so that the skill needed to keep dwarf craft up to unparalleled standard that is required can be constantly maintained. Clans being large familial units take in and care for one another if something happens. While the immediate family is a dwarf's most cherished family, the extended one gives them great stability in times of trouble and loss. Each family in a single clan will make sure the others are fed, clothed and housed, less it shame the whole clan that they allowed members of their family to suffer. In return every dwarf feels indebted to help provide to their clan's wealth and reputation by working hard and doing as expected. Dwarven loyalties lie with their immediate families first, then to their clans, then to their strongholds, and then to the allies of their stronghold. A single dwarf clan may contain two hundred members if not more who all inhabit the kingdom for which they owe allegiance. Each clan honors its ancestors and seek everyday to honor their memory in some way. Generally this is by following their ancestor's example or continuing to work and create in the craft of those ancestors. For every dwarf, this ties them to the past, to the firm knowledge of what has transpired in hopes of making their families and those honored ancestors proud. 'Economy:' Dwarf holds are all self-sustaining communities. Each dwarven city is the central hold and hub for trade and power. Around it are other smaller holds generally controlled by large clans, which all connect to the main city. All goods are brought to the central city and are not allowed to be sold outside of it without permission from the king and the guilds both. This maintains direct rule and governance over dwarven goods, kept to unparalleled standard by the rigorous, and extremely strict regulation and specification of the guilds and the protection of the king who receives a small levy of sold goods to maintain the realm's defenses, infrastructure and to add to his overall hoard. While not the best farmers or herders in the world as well as having difficulty finding good farming soil in mountainous regions, the dwarfs have developed ways to keep their people fed. Above ground terraces are carved into the mountain sides and valley's carefully tended to produce bountiful yields which are then stored in massive granaries and silos inside the dwarven city. Atop areas that are too rocky, goats, sheep, pigs and deer are kept along with massive bee apiaries. Below ground the dwarfs perfected the art of growing mushrooms and other fungi along with plants which need little to no light to grow such as serolis a type of grain, rugi a type of sweet vegetable and wirolle a beady substance that when mashed and combined with yeast and other ingredients makes a potent alcohol. Along with many underground plants the dwarfs raise blind cousins of the swine family, the gigger and norgrims a short, fat underground cow. These the dwarf keep in cavern's they have preseeded with grasses that glow, and grow on stone, leeching away generally useless rocky minerals, slowly eating away at the rock but providing powerful nutritional benefits to the giggers and norgims. Over very long periods of time these caverns grow wider and deeper because of these grasses. Beyond these means of supplying a dwarf hold, dwarfs will trade with outsiders for that which they don't easily have access to, filling up storehouses with supplies should lean times come upon their above ground farms, herds and orchards. Dwarfs are also avid hunters who range out and bring back stores of meat to their families. 'The Hair, Handiness and the Hoard:' Beyond the dwarf's ability to wage war, their unmatched metalwork, masterful engineering and their boastful talent to consume enough alcohol to topple an ogre, the dwarfs are known for their hair. A dwarf's beard symbolizes many things, pride, honor, wisdom and age. From birth till death a dwarf will never shave or trim his beard. As a symbol it is looked to determine the age and with it the experience warranted in wisdom with it. In times of trouble, those with the longest beards are looked to for guidance, as beard growth and a dwarfs age are intrinsically linked. Braiding a beard is not allowed until after an apprenticeship to a profession is completed. Clasps of ancestors are not allowed in a beard until a dwarf's 90th nameday. The same goes for dwarf women, who grow out their locks of hair on their heads the same as the males do their beards. They are not allowed to braid their hair until marriage or clasp icons of their ancestors until they have given birth once. Young dwarfs are always taught to respect and obey their elders. Elder dwarfs are fonts of wisdom and while sometimes difficult to decipher, their lifetime of experience can be invaluable to younger generations. Dwarfs value only the best works and will never sell or show off an item of lesser than masterwork quality. Those who excel in a craft are revered by all dwarfs for their ability to create magnificent works which will continue to elevate dwarven kind above the lesser races. This strict code of professional work is also enforced by the different guilds of different crafts. They make sure that new pieces of work are up to standard . Dwarfs who have not achieved quality standards are told so directly and bluntly by guildsmen. An accused dwarf is shamed until his work is raised to accepted standard. Every dwarf has a small hoard of some of his most precious and prized items along with a fair amount of gold and precious stones. This again is a symbol of status in dwarf society, as those who work the hardest are often the ones with the most impressive hoards. These hoards are safeguarded as they can be leaned upon in dire times and upon death will be distributed among the immediate family, a way to make sure those who are left behind are taken care of. 'Honor and Grudges:' No other race in the world holds its honor more dear than the dwarfs of Aggal. Pride and honor go hand in hand. It is this unyielding code of honor and pride and mutual obligation that fuses the dwarfs together as a race. Any dwarf would rather die than see dishonor come upon themselves, their family or their clan. A dwarf's clan is their life, containing all the tradition and blood essential to each individual. Without a clan a dwarf is nothing. A single stone is nothing, but when hundreds and thousands are together they form unbreakable walls and mountains. To betray one's clan is to betray your forefathers, to abandon your ancestors. Killing kith and kin is paramount to having killed yourself. Oaths are unbreakable bonds that tie a dwarf's pride and honor to their word. They accept the same level of devotion to oaths by other races as they do. To break an oath is to shatter your pride and dishonor not only yourself but your family and clan. An oath-breaker is shamed as their word no longer means anything and they shall be treated with contempt and ostracized and exiled from family and clan. Grudges are in part a recording of dwarf history. All the slights and perceived slights against dwarfs are written down in their iron paged Book of Grudges. Serious grudges are always written in blood and only blood and death is recompense for such injuries. While other races scoff at the idea of maintaining an active list of hatred, to dwarf's it symbolizes their devotion to the past, to tradition and to the honor and pride that drives their beating hearts. Dwarfs will often say their grudges keep them alive when all other lesser races crack and perish. Grudges also lend to accounting of debts that must be paid, a thing very serious in dwarf society. No dwarf likes the idea of being in debt to anyone, let alone someone of a different race and will seek to fulfill any debt real or imagined to strike it off as one less thing to worry about. But those who owe a debt to a dwarf will find an their debt growing the longer it takes to pay it off. To dwarfs, grudges and debts do not die with the dwarf who accrued them. They are passed down from generation to generation, until the grudge or debt has been expunged. This keeps memories alive and fresh in the minds of succeeding generations, who are always mindful of finishing where an ancestor left off. The Dwarfs at War The Elder Race has endured the constant stripping of time. From their earliest days the dwarfs have been under constant threat by outside foes. They have met each threat with the same steely resolve and iron tenacity that they always have. As such the dwarfs are masters of war and have been long before the rise of man, troll or glassian, and before the coming of the Void. From mountains to plains dwarven throngs have stood like walls against enemy forces. They are unmatched in siege warfare able to utilize powerful siege engines and war machines to devastate fortifications. Also as master sappers and the best miners in the world, few fortifications can withstand for long. From the age of ten all male dwarfs are taught to fight with hammer and axe both, allowing them to choose later their preferred weapon. Each are drilled relentlessly for several years under seasoned Wisebeard drill instructors. They are all taught to dig entrenchments, how to assemble camp quickly and how to defend fortifications. Additionally they are all drilled to fight in a cohesive unit in a dwarven phalanx and shieldwall. This training is enough to be remembered for the rest of their lives, for when they are called to war, all will answer. From the age of twenty dwarf women are also given a limited martial training so that in the event the dwarf banners have been called and campaigns are in progress, the women defend the hold, protecting hearth and home. Many are experts with a bow or crossbow, but they are still formidable with an axe or hammer. Wrot tribes fear the dwarf axe. Trolls fear dwarven fire. Urk and Shrilkul flee from the dwarven hammer, skitterers fall beneath dwarven iron clad boots and even humans dread the wrath of the dwarven host. Below are some of the notable units of the dwarven host, some of which belong solely to the four major dwarf clans. Clansdwarfs: 'Drawn from every clan in a dwarf hold and clad in mail armor and wielding axes or hammers and stout round shields the clansdwarfs form the backbone and core of every dwarf army. They fight in units comprised of their clans, with kith and kin as the shield dwarf next to them. Fathers, sons, brothers, cousins and uncles all stand together against the tide of enemies. A dwarf that flees from battle is seen by all family members, a thought that terrifies and strengthens the resolve of each warrior. 'Grudge-Bearers: Dwarfs who become shamed in such an irredeemable way join a sacred order known as the Grudge-Bearers. Shames are heinous crimes that can only be atoned for by joining the order to hunt down and cross off as many dwarf grudges as possible, usually by dying against a worthy foe in battle and achieving a glorious death. Grudge-Bearers shave their scalps and dye their beards a blue woad are a crimson red, before tattooing their body with symbols of grudge and wrath. These condemned dwarfs are the keepers of dwarven pride and honor, seeking to make those who have trespassed against the Elder Race pay in as much blood as possible. They are crazed berserkers who only wear britches and charge into battle chest's bared and bright with tattoos. Each upon taking the Grudge-Bearer Oath is given a two handed dwarven urgrosh, with a broad axe head at one end and a spear point at the other. They are often considered crazed berserkers by other races, but all fear them rightly. Gravel-Trackers: Some dwarfs have an innate ability to listen to the land. These treasured individuals often become Gravel-Trackers who become the eyes and ears of dwarf kings. They are rangers and hunters, trackers and masters of long ranged combat. A Gravel-Tracker is known by his mechanical, repeating crossbow which is a marvel of dwarven engineering. Able to fire twenty high powered crossbow bolts before reloading, these dwarven rangers are deadly. They are also extremely valuable below ground, in the depths of the world where tracking an enemy is impossible over naked stone. Gravel-Trackers are able to track anything across any terrain save water, and will tirelessly do so. In battle these dwarfs are masters of ambush tactics who fearlessly raid and harass enemy lines, gathering vital intelligence as they do so. During a full scale fight, they will find a vantage point and use their repeating crossbows to rain death on the enemy. Foebreakers: '''Every dwarven hold has a professional core of soldiers. These are armed and armored in the finest equipment their lords can afford and are tasked with being the iron wall against the enemies of the Elder Race. Every clan sends at least fifteen of its individuals into the service while some rarer clans are entirely devoted to the service. These warriors train daily and operate on the fringes of dwarven territory, manning outposts and walls, patrolling borders and operating in the deep tunnels below the ground. Each Foebreaker is equipped with either a runic axe or hammer, a runewrought round shield and fine runestruck inucril plate armor. They are immovable guardians, that can fight tirelessly. Like a rocky shore against a raging surf they will break every wave that comes against them. '''Stonebreakers: Another core of professional dwarven warriors are the Stonebreakers, who are elite shock troops equipped with two handed dwarven great hammers. Where Foebreakers fight more defensive oriented, the Stonebreakers fight offensively. However, there are less of them, as each Stonebreaker is selected from the core of Foebreakers as those who have achieved renown for their dauntless courage and ferocious fighting skill. They are often held in reserve until the right moment to send them in to finally break an enemy battle line. Upon commission to the Stonebreaker corps, a dwarf is given a powerful two handed great hammer struck with a potent rune and engraved to honor the dwarf's achievements. They often go into battle with slightly less protective armor but the armor they do wear is still fine runestruck inucril. The most steadfast of the Stonebreakers will usually find a final comission in becoming a Stalwart, handpicked by a dwarf lord to be his personal bodyguard at home and on the field. Stalwarts: Every dwarf lord and king has a retinue of handpicked Stalwarts who are oath bound to protect his person to the last. These are often the finest professional soldiers in the kingdom and are equipped and with the finest armor and weapons. Their task is a hard one in battle, as every dwarf lord and king is often keen to get into the thick of the fighting themselves rather than hide behind the backs of others. Thus, while the position is a highly honored one, it is often tragically hard to enforce. Still, a dwarf will never complain and Stalwarts do everything in their power to keep their charge safe, gladly giving their life for the cause. Wisebeards: Dwarfs do not get weaken with age, they get grumpier, surlier and even more stubborn. Wisebeards are the eldest dwarfs in a hold who will form their own units during times of war. They fight alongside those at near or the same age range, knowing them to be the most dependable. All dwarfs look to their steely resolve on a battlefield, and most don't have to look to know they are around. Wisebeards are vocal in their condemnation of their enemies and are keen to make sure that younger dwarfs know their place and what they are doing wrong. Since they are already vehement grumblers, other dwarfs fear gaining their ire, and will do their best to make sure they live up to the elder dwarf's expectations. Wisebeards also employ the use of two handed axes in battle, cutting down swaths of enemies as though they are taking a scythe through wheat. Respected at all times, these aged dwarfs are fearsome to behold in a fight. Grimaxe Bloodletters: The elites of Clan Grimaxe, Bloodletters are ferocious warriors who train their entire lives for war and battle. Either wielding two one handed axes or one two handed axe, they are a maelstrom of flesh tearing violence. The best Bloodletters protect the Grimaxe King, while the rest lead the vanguard of the army and are always the first into battle and the last to leave it. They loathe retreating but will do so only under explicit orders from their King. Dreadhammer Hammerguard: '''Staunch defenders of Clan Dreadhammer, the Hammerguard are above the respected Stonebreakers. At the young age of fifty they must take a vow of silence for one hundred years, and an oath of utter fealty to the cause of defense of all who cannot defend themselves. They are also the personal bodyguard of the Dreadhammer King, fighting wherever he is on the battlefield. They too wield the two handed great hammer of the Stonebreaker, but it is struck with additional runes to signify their status as the most elite in Dreadhammer society. '''Runic Guards: '''Frostfoe royalty have always been protected by an elite retinue of dwarven warriors known as the Runic Guards. They wear immensely valuable inucril armor struck with potent runes of protection from the clan's master runesmiths. They also wield great axes and hammers struck with powerful runes. The Frostfoe are known as the most gifted with dwarven magic and the Runic Guard receives and display's the clan's mastery on every battlefield. '''Forge Guards: Runecasters are prized members of dwarf society. While not as skilled in the striking of runes to weapons, armor and talismans as a runeforger, runecasters employ devastating abilities, casting dwarven runes at foes. No other clan boasts as many as the Frostfoe, and no other clan protects these individuals with an entire core of elite warriors known as the Forge Guards. Two forge guards are tasked to defend a single runecaster in Clan Frostfoe upon his rise to the rank of Expert Runecaster. These warriors are those who have shown exceptional martial prowess and steadfast loyalty and devotion. They will defend the runecaster with their last breath. Each wears very heavy runestruck armor, round shields, waraxes or hammers at their belts, but use a halberd as their primary weapon. Runecasters: '''The Runecaster Order is an offshoot of the Runeforger Order and even fewer in number than that already rare numbered listing. Runic magic being far different than regular magic or even void magic, it takes extreme skill, time patience and temperance to wield. Becoming a runecaster is a grueling, torturous task of apprenticeship to at least a master runecaster. Hundreds of years are spent learning the mysterious secrets of the art. Half of a runecaster's time is spent learning the art of the runeforger, striking runes onto objects to bind dwarven magic into incredibility potent symbols which can transform armor, talismans and weapons into objects of immense power. The other half is spent learning how to cast magic which always prefers to be bound into something physical, into something that can make even an archmage pale. Because of their rarity and massive collection of ancient knowledge and secrets runecasters are revered members of dwarven society. While they serve kings and thanes, advising on many matters from war to agriculture, when a runecaster, even an apprentice speaks, even a king will listen and take advice under earnest consideration. Lorelieges, Runelieges and Grand Runelieges are the pinnacle of this order, commanding immense respect, as these individuals are the voices of the past. In battle runecasters are always well protected, most often by elite warriors clad in armor stuck with runes by their very charges. The runecaster in battle is always clad in heavy runewrought armor crafted by their own hands, and wields a runestaff which carries an image accumulation of all the runes they have learned in the course of their lives and which allows them to cast their magic, along with a runic axe or hammer. Able to split the earth, call pillars of lightning, turn solid metal and rock into fiery liquid along with a myriad of other abilities a runecaster is fearsome to behold.They are able to tear great rents in enemy lines, and most importantly they are masters at grounding and dispelling enemy magics with veritable ease. '''Runeforgers: This order of dwarves is far older than the runecasters, as learning to harness dwarven magic always comes to binding it into physical form to a physical object. Seen as smiths by the outside world, runeforgers take traditional smithing add to its difficulty a million times over. While runic magic is not wily and unpredictable like the magic of the Weaves, it is like its possessors, immensely stubborn and vengeful. Dwarfs tap into this magic, given to them by Angart the Everkeeper, the dwarf god of knowledge, wisdom and dwarven magic, into their most iconic symbols, runes. Binding the runes is an effort of extreme willpower and skill, with ancient techniques used over days, months, and years to set a single rune to an object. Everything is kept secret, and knowledge is jealously guarded, moreso than any other dwarven treasure. Many runeforgers, and many runecasters will go to their graves with their knowledge, never giving them to anyone else, as no one else has proven worthy of learning such secrets. Every rune has its own separate rite, intone, ingredients, shape, name and effect. Many runes will not work in the presence of other runes, the magic of each said to be proud or jealous. To add to it, runes will only work when attached to the right item. A rune for armor will never work on an axe or on a ring. Because of this, newly discovered runes require as much work to uncover their use as rediscovered runes. Because of the complexity of the art, and the immense demand of time, runeforgers are few. Even more so, only certain bloodlines can work the magic required to bind runes to an object, let alone cast them as runecasters do. Because of their rarity, and extreme skill runeforgers are revered members of society. Each member is a living link to the past when the dwarf gods once lived among their children. When a new runeforger is apprenticed it is generally a time for mass celebration, which run for up to a week's time. Each dwarf knows that the power of these individuals has been the reason dwarfs have been able to stand against the tides of foes that besiege them from all sides. Runic items are rare and immensely valuable, as it takes precious metals and secret ingredients, all of which can take years to gather, and then years of forging an item suitable for a rune to be placed on, and then years for a rune to be struck to it. These items are always the best of dwarven craft, breathtaking in their complexity and perfection. Unlike the runecasters, runeforgers cannot cast spells in battle, but they still enter it, clad head to toe in armor they themselves have crafted, which is often more powerful than a runecaster's armor. They also wield weapons of immense potency which also can be more powerful than a runecaster's own. Yet again, they are always protected by a cadre of elite warriors who will gladly die to make sure a rare and venerated member of society continues to live. The Four Major Clans Grim'Duraz'Huzhrung (Grimrock Citadel) (Grimaxe Clan): Known for its powerful offensive infantry. Garaz'Dunaz'Gron (Dreadstone Hold) (Dreadhammer Clan): Known for its powerful defensive infantry. Gorm'Duraz'Skarran'Gron (Highrock Skyhold) (Clan Highrock): Known for its exalted Silverwing Flyers. Medathal'Darhad (The Runic Pillars) (Frostfoe Clan): Known for its powerful Runelords. The Six Minor Clans Kruk'Wyr'Graz (Whitevein Halls) (Whitestone Clan): Known for its Gravel-Trackers. Agril'Strom'Gron (Silver Stream Hold) (Clan Silverstream): Known for its jewel crafters. Groz'Grung'Graz (Hundred Anvil Halls) ''(Clan Trueanvil): Known for its armor smiths and engineers. Maazpals'Dew'Migdhal ''(Obsidian Flow Keep) ''(Blackforge Clan): Known for its weapon smiths. Wyr'Varna'Graz (Ice Lake Hall) (Everice Clan): Known for its specialty in crafting Everice armaments. Rhun'Kazhunki'Akorna ''(Runerider Fortress) ''(Clan Battlehorn): Known for its powerful cavalry. The Two Holy Clans Thryng'A'Medmygloin ''(Temple of the Mygloin) ''(Deep Hermits) Izril'Hallath (Jewelhearth)'' (Clan Ironfoe) Notable Fallen Holds Maraz'Ganhud: Copper Delving --- Lost against a combined force of Wrot, Urk, Shrilkul and Ogres. (Later invaded by Skitterers from below. Remains contested to this day.) Cauraki'Stomrezn'Izani: Caverns of Streaking Gems --- Lost against a massive invasion of Skitterers. (Later invaded by Urk and Wrot and remains contested to this day.) Kol'Vari'Stromen: Black Iron Stream --- Lost against Wrot and summoned Daemons. Grund-harn'Gron: Hammerfell Hold --- Lost against Shrilkul from the surface and Skitterers below. (Still contested as Shrilkil and Skitterers battle for complete control) Wyr-zush'Khraggi: Icefall Crags --- Lost against Trolls. Skaundtoap: Echopeak --- Lost to Trolls. (Later invaded by Wrot, Remains contested between the two) Karan'Agrilhar: Mount Silverfire --- Lost to Urk and Shrilkul from below and Trolls from the surface. (Is still battled over by Urk and Shrilkul against the Trolls.)